Eliana Willis

Kindles are perfect summer vacation companions. That’s because they offer up everything you’d need in a top-notch e-reader. They’re uber-portable (my Kindle fits in my coat pocket); they’re lightweight (far lighter than that hardcover you’re stowing in your carry-on); and you can take them on the plane, to the beach, or in the bathtub, and you won’t have to sweat if they get some splashes of water on them.To sweeten the deal, Amazon, the brand behind Kindle, slashes the prices of those e-readers during and ahead of and during its Prime Day sale, making mid-July a convenient time to snatch one up before that August vacation. Prime Day returns July 16 and 17 this year, when you’ll find steep discounts on everything from TVs to phones, among other gadgets and necessities. The discount-palooza can be intimidating to sort through. Thankfully, we’ve done the heavy lifting by curating the best deals you can shop that our team of experts have either tested ourselves or thoroughly researched. Also: The best Prime Day deals so farBest Kindle deals for Amazon Prime Day 2024Kindle Paperwhite Essentials Bundle, Wi-Fi, fabric cover, 8GB More

Nintendo is notoriously stingy when it comes to offering any sort of coupons, discounts, or sales events — especially when it comes to digital games. However, if you’re willing to do a little research and be very, very patient, it’s possible to snag everything from replacement charging docks and Joy-Cons to storage cases and games. While we’ll have to wait and see if there will be any significant Nintendo discounts during Amazon Prime Day, which runs next Tuesday through Wednesday, Best Buy More

This year has been exciting for new laptops, and it’s not slowing down any time soon. New developments in AI technology are everywhere across Windows and Mac laptops, and big advancements in processors are pushing all new devices to the forefront. Also: The best early Prime Day deals right nowThis is great news for consumers because it means unbeatable deals on a wide range of laptops, from productivity machines for work to gaming laptops to 2-in-1 tablet/laptop convertibles. We’ve already gone hands-on with dozens of laptops this year and are excited to share the best early deals we’ve found in time for Amazon’s Prime Day. The best early laptop deals for Amazon Prime Day 2024Apple MacBook Air (M2) for $849 (save $150) More

Amplify your dev work with this deal on Visual Studio Pro 2022 right now.  StackSocial Having in-house development is a massive advantage for many businesses. And having software on hand to help streamline workflows, amplify productivity, and keep projects on track is a must — especially when you can get it at a discount. Right […] More

Amazon Amazon is going all out for Prime Day 2024, including launching a new Echo speaker that will be 40% off until after the sales event next week. The new Echo Spot<!–> is a smart alarm clock that looks like a mix of an Echo Pop–> and Echo Show<!–>, giving Alexa fans the best of […] More

Artie Beaty/ZDNETAfter more than four decades, Windows Notepad is getting a significant update.First released in 1983 in MS-DOS, the simple text editor predates Windows itself and has been available in every version of the operating system since 1985. The program has remained largely unchanged over the years, but now it’s finally getting spell check and autocorrect features.Microsoft announced the features back in April, initially rolling them out to Windows Insiders. According to Tom’s Hardware, the new Notepad is now available for all Windows 11 users.Also: The best note-taking tablets you can buy: Expert testedThe features work just like in other word processors or text editing apps. Notepad underlines misspelled words in squiggly red, and you can right-click them if you want to see suggestions for the correct spelling. There’s also an autocorrect option that fixes mistakes as you’re typing, you can ignore a flagged misspelling for a whole document, and you can add custom words to the built-in dictionary.For many people, the value of Notepad is that it’s a stripped-down text editor. It opens instantly, works quickly, and is perfect for jotting down notes. Windows 11 has brought several changes to Notepad, including a dark theme, autosave, AI with Copilot, and tabs, but it’s still very basic compared to other options. More

Score a Microsoft Office license now for 82% off.  StackSocial Whether you’re setting up your new laptop or using a machine you’ve had for years, access to Microsoft Office is a necessity for many of us to get things done. Right now, you can buy a lifetime license to the 2019 version of Microsoft Office Professional Plus for […] More

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETMicrosoft has yet again revised a webpage that explains how to manage a Windows account, but this time for the better. Just two weeks after removing the instructions on how to switch from a Microsoft account to a local account, the company has magically restored that information, as spotted by Neowin.Those steps had been part of the page until just recently. A version of the page from June 12 seen by Tom’s Hardware, courtesy of the Wayback Machine, contained the directions for changing from a Microsoft account to a local account. Those steps vanished on June 17 with no explanation from Microsoft, only to return sometime this past weekend.The page in question tries to explain how to add, remove, and otherwise manage an account to sign in to Windows. Deleting those instructions triggered criticism from concerned Windows users and several media outlets, likely creating undue attention that Microsoft hadn’t anticipated. I emailed Microsoft’s PR people on June 26 asking why the information was removed, but never received a response. Still, the backlash may have prompted Microsoft to quietly bring back the information.Also: Windows 11 now turns on OneDrive folder backup without your permissionAt the same time, Microsoft has added a couple of helpful new sections to the page. One section explains how to change or reset your PIN in Windows, while another tries to help you change your password, either for a Microsoft account or a local account.Microsoft has fought hard to push people toward signing in to Windows with a Microsoft account, claiming its superiority over a local one. On the prior and new version of its support page, the company touts such an account as enabling the “seamless integration of Microsoft services, enhanced security, and sync across devices, unlike a local account.” More